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On today's TMC Podcast, we ask the question "What is the Tesla Cybercab?". Join us on YouTube live at 1PM and participate in the chat.
The 10-30 plug from Tesla is an adapter to attach to the UMC. You won't be able to attach it to an extension cord.
Well, yes, you will be able to, assuming the extension cord is a 10-30 extension cord, which is what the person is building. The 10-30 ADAPTER from Tesla attaches to the UMC which then allows you to plug the UMC into a 10-30 receptacle OR a 10-30 extension cord.
Cottonwood
Roadster#433, Model S#S37
Cottonwood
Roadster#433, Model S#S37
Because the 10-30 extension cord is a lot lighter and less bulky. With this cord and a 14-30P to 10-30R adapter and you can access many laundry rooms near garages at friends houses. Usually when a 14-50 is available, you don't need an extension cord. The only exception to that is when you go for the electric range outlet at a friends house.
Sure you can. I found everything I needed at my local Ace hardware store. I got a NEMA 14-30R plug and a NEMA 14-30R receptacle and 20 feet of 10-3 cable and wired it up. I used that for several months until I got my HPWC installed. I plugged my UMC NEMA 14-30 adapter into the receptacle without any problems. I think I ended up spending about $30 for everything. I used this for the receptacle and found a similar matching plug: Amazon.com: Cooper Wiring Devices WD1225 30-Amp 3-Pole 4-Wire 125-Volt Surface Mount Dryer Power Receptacle, Black: Home Improvement
So for those of us whose loved ones would KILL them if they ever found out they were making homemade extension cords… Is our best bet to just buy the 14-50 extension cord and the EVSE adapters? Too bad nobody is selling these awesome-sounding EV-only extension cords y'all are talkin' about making.
Slightly OT: I bought a "heavy duty" 15amp, 25ft cord to plug in at a relative's house (regular 5-15 outlet) and the Tesla would only let it charge at 9 amps (I wanted 12). Is this normal and is there a way around it? And specifically, would the 14-50 cord + 5-15 adapter have prevented this problem?
Slightly OT: I bought a "heavy duty" 15amp, 25ft cord to plug in at a relative's house (regular 5-15 outlet) and the Tesla would only let it charge at 9 amps (I wanted 12). Is this normal and is there a way around it? And specifically, would the 14-50 cord + 5-15 adapter have prevented this problem?
It isn't hard to make your own high quality, solid extension cords. That's why Home Depot sells all the parts.
It could have been the house wiring or the cord. When you say heavy duty, do you know what wire gauge it was? Ideally you want 12 gauge or better.
But yes, if you used a big bulky 14-50 extension cord and an adapter, then the cord would not be a problem.
That reminds me of a story - a friend of mine bought a new Lincoln Electric MIG welder. It had a 6-50 plug, but a max current draw of 22A @ 240V. Completely safe to run on a 30A dryer circuit.
He had no 240V available in his garage, so he figured the simplest solution was to build a 20ft 14-30P to 6-50R extension cord to run into the back hall to the dryer outlet. He went to Home Depot to get the parts, and asked one of the guys to cut him 20 feet of 10/3 of SOOW cord. They guy asked him what he wanted it for, so my friend told him.
The Home Depot guy got all bent out of shape and told him that what he wanted to do was illegal and an NEC violation, and refused to give him the cord. My friend left in a huff and went to another store a few miles away and got his cord.
Tga, that attitude is exactly why, of all the trades, I dislike electricians the most. Yes, they see absolutely dangerous crap all the time, but it doesn't excuse their you-don't-know-what-you're-doing attitude that most of them seem to have. Just like building codes are one size fits all, the electrical code is too inflexible and always out of date.
For what it's worth, it's that "absolutely dangerous crap all the time" that has resulted in the electrical code being what it is. It's designed for multiple failure scenarios that do indeed happen, and keep in mind that some electricians have been called in to help assess why people have been electrocuted, or why fires have started.
Welders are an interesting part of the code. Because of their duty cycle, they're permitted to have much smaller conductors. It is perfectly legal to connect a NEMA 6-50R to a 20A breaker with #12 wire for a welder that has a very limited duty cycle. The problem tga ran into was the idiot in the Home Depot that *thought* he knew code but didn't -- try to use that 6-50 for a Tesla at the full 40A, and of course you're going to have that problem.
There are few things in the code that I disagree with (but they have to be followed anyway). The latest revision that requires AFCI's on all general-purpose receptacle circuits is, in my opinion, the biggest boondoggle in the code and basically results in throwing about $1,000 extra to the breaker manufacturers who have seen their products commoditized.
Most of the stuff you see discussed here (like the elimination of NEMA 10 series outlets, or someone who says "don't have neutral? just tie it to ground!") may indeed work, but is dangerous under a failure scenario - and I have seen them happen. Don't paint electricians with such a broad brush -- they're the ones who have seen people killed because of that absolutely dangerous crap.
Welders are an interesting part of the code. Because of their duty cycle, they're permitted to have much smaller conductors. It is perfectly legal to connect a NEMA 6-50R to a 20A breaker with #12 wire for a welder that has a very limited duty cycle. The problem tga ran into was the idiot in the Home Depot that *thought* he knew code but didn't -- try to use that 6-50 for a Tesla at the full 40A, and of course you're going to have that problem.
There are few things in the code that I disagree with (but they have to be followed anyway). The latest revision that requires AFCI's on all general-purpose receptacle circuits is, in my opinion, the biggest boondoggle in the code and basically results in throwing about $1,000 extra to the breaker manufacturers who have seen their products commoditized.
Most of the stuff you see discussed here (like the elimination of NEMA 10 series outlets, or someone who says "don't have neutral? just tie it to ground!") may indeed work, but is dangerous under a failure scenario - and I have seen them happen. Don't paint electricians with such a broad brush -- they're the ones who have seen people killed because of that absolutely dangerous crap.
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